On the Fear-O-Meter of paranoia about chemicals in beauty products, I would say I'm not nearly scared enough. Every day of my cotton-picking life I am slathering, slathering, slathering my face, bod + hair with ingredients with names I couldn't pronounce if you put a gun to my head.

So why, last week, on my way out of Locale Market after yet another yummy lunch upstairs at FarmTable Kitchen, did I find myself plunking down 15 buck-a-roonies for an all-natural deodorant?

Several reasons, dear FBP-er, which I will endeavor to enumerate for you now.

1. It's super-beautiful. What can I tell you? I'm incredibly superficial and I like purty merch. (Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to see it. I think you'll agree that design-wise, it's a massive elevation on, say, Secret Outlast.)

2. It's laced with patchouli. I'll just cop to it right here, right now: I'm a patchouli addict. I wouldn't even consider trying to sleep at night without dabbing it on my wrists + inhaling. And basically, I've bullied my husband + daughter into loving it, too. Yes, yes, it's polarizing; you can divide the world into two camps: Patchouli-Lovers + Patchouli-Haters. As the Scout Master of the former camp, my eyes seized on this Sweet Orange Patchouli deodorant. It never even occurred to me that this most pedestrian of personal hygiene products - deodorant! - could be spiked with the essential oil I adore most in all the world.

3. It's by Bodhi Basics, a St. Pete brand I love + admire. I've blogged about Bodhi Basics before, in my post about top-notch home-grown beauty lines. I find it to be a really sophisticated take on clean, and I love the craft vibe, too. Everything is made by hand in small batches. That's rare. Rare + seriously awesome.

4. It's apparently extremely popular. As I was purchasing it, I got the low-down from the over-sharing Checkout Chick. "This is so expensive," she said. "But people have been buying five at a pop. It must be good."

5. It is good. I've put it through a few tough tests in the past week - a four-mile run and three sets of tennis - and it came through with flying colors. In Florida, we obvi need super-strength deodorants + antiperspirants. I'm squeamish about bodily functions, so I don't even like to use the word "sweat." So let's just say we perspire a lot here, and are endlessly in search of ways to turn back the tide. As it promises on the label, this little number is effective at "promoting dryness."

6. It's all-natural. Despite what I said in the opening graph about not being especially freaked-out about chemicals in personal care products, I'm not an idiot; I know it all adds up. Between what we're breathing in, eating, drinking + rubbing into our epidermis, we're pretty much assaulted on a daily basis. If I can get my patchouli fix, support a local brand + lighten my "toxic load" with a single swipe of this deodorant, you can bet your sweet bippy I'm gonna use it.